Mobile malware harms consumers and companies

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- The flood of new apps for mobile phones does not only provide us with fun and useful apps. Unfortunately, it also results in applications that are not as good: so-called malware or scareware. These are programs that steal private data from your phone like telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and other personal information. Very annoying for mobile phone users, who are often affected by it unaware of the risks and sometimes even without noticing the consequences.

An example of these malware apps is 'Battery Upgrade’ or ‘Battery Doctor’, an application that is supposed to update the battery of your Android phone, improving the battery duration. Instead, the app places unwanted banner ads on your phone, passing along private information in the background. And moreover, it decreases your battery duration. It is not yet sure who is behind these apps.
Consumers are not the only victims here. Companies can be damaged considerably by this kind of fraudulent practices. The apps mentioned above have long been removed from Google’s Play Store, but search results aren’t. BatteryUpgrade.com, a web shop that sells batteries for mobile devices to consumers and companies, is not happy with the Battery Upgrade app. "Because the app has the same name as our web shop, we are sometimes wrongly associated with this malware. Online shoppers come across our company name in negative messages, which have nothing to do with our web store. We actually offer people a solution for battery problems. We have been doing this for years. In a fair and decent way, fortunately with a lot of satisfied customers.